Tom Riddle, Second Year Student
by RudeMinnesotan
Summary: 'This couldn't be normal... could it? Maybe I will just ask my roommates' Tom has found out something interesting about himself, but, even with the wonderful world of magic around him, can't believe that THIS would be normal... is it? Only one way to find it. ONE SHOT. PROMPT? Not sorry.


**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.**

**AN: Don't take this too seriously. I don't. **

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Tom Riddle wasn't always a quiet student, but today he was. He had decided to finally tell his roommates something that had been bothering him for quite some time. He had thought about it, and thought about it, and figured that maybe, since his roommates were raised in the wizarding world, they would have a better idea about what was happening than he did, having grown up in an orphanage.

Honestly, how was he supposed to know? He was only 13 years old! His birthday had just passed, having returned once more from a terrible winter at the orphanage where he didn't get hardly anything for Christmas. The one gift that they were required to give him and nothing else.

He hadn't managed to make any friends, not even his roommates, from his year. No one! What was he supposed to do to try to figure this out? … Because…. Really. Who can talk to snakes? Maybe it was normal in the Wizarding World. Maybe Tom was overreacting… Maybe this would be the key to his acceptance.

He finally reached his dorm room where he knew all of his roommates were avoiding their homework. He had already finished his in the library like he usually did because they had a tendency to trash it otherwise. A consequence of being The Mudblood in Slytherin, he supposed.

When Tom opened the door, he poked his head inside slowly and then his body followed. Avery, who was over by the window (and therefore the best bed in the dorm room) sneered at him for all he was worth. Since he was 12, it wasn't that good. Tom would have laughed if he wasn't so nervous.

"Hello," He stated simply to his roommates. There was a grunt from Nott, but no other response in reply.

Taking a deep breath, Tom forged ahead.

"I have a question. I would appreciate an answer." He said with all the dignity he could muster. It was a lot for a 13-year-old who had been raised in an orphanage, compared to his pure blooded roommates.

"Well," Malfoy began, resting his book on his stomach and folding his hands on top of it. He was trying to be magnanimous but just came off as a prat. "I suppose we could answer, mudblood."

Tom managed to only flair his nostrils in reaction to the slur against him, nodding.

"I have already researched in the library, but sadly the information there was lacking," The Hat had suggested that he could go to Ravenclaw with how he pursued knowledge, "I was wondering how common it was for wizards to … Be able to speak to snakes."

Silence.

Nott actually dropped what he was holding.

"Wait," Malfoy, the defacto leader of their dorm, stated with a raised hand. "You. A filthy mudblood… can speak to snakes?"

'Apparently', thought Tom, 'This is more important than I thought, judging by their reactions.'

For Malfoy's question, he merely nodded, keeping his face stoic.

"Prove it," Lestrange spat as he drew his wand and cast the spell to conjure a snake.

Tom blinked in surprised at the spell but crouched down at the snake's level and started to hiss at it.

Everyone in the room's jaws dropped at the show. The aggressive snake was quickly subdued and curled up in Tom's hands as he stood, looking at his roommates.

"Well," Tom said to them, slowly raising an eyebrow, "Is this a common skill or not?"

Nott and Lestrange immediately went over to Malfoy's bed and started a whispered conversation. Avery continued to stare.

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**AN: Short, incomplete prompt type thing that I typed up as an example to my students in 2016 lol. Leaving this as is- if anyone has an interest in continuing this at all, I'll just pretend this is like a prompt or something. **

**Thank you Scarletdewdrops for encouraging me to post this. **


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